Acorn Energy, Inc. (ACFN) SEC Filing 10-K Annual report for the fiscal year ending Tuesday, December 31, 2013

ACORN ENERGY ANNOUNCES Q4 and FISCAL YEAR 2013 RESULTS

WILMINGTON, Del., March 17, 2014/

For the fiscal year 2013 period, revenue increased $2.3 million, or 12%, to $21.8 million, compared to $19.4 million in the corresponding 2012 period. The net loss for 2013 was $29.7 million, or $1.57 per share, compared to a net loss of $16.7 million, or $0.93 per share, in 2012. Results for the year include a non-cash charge of $6.7 million ($0.36 per share) for impairment of goodwill and other intangibles and $1.4 million ($0.07 per share) for restructuring charges.

For the fourth quarter of 2013, Acorn revenue increased 21% to $5.8 million compared to $4.8 million in the 2012 fourth quarter. The net loss for the quarter was $5.3 million, or $0.24 per share, compared to a net loss of $5.4 million, or $0.30 per share, in the corresponding 2012 period.

John Moore, President and CEO of Acorn Energy stated, "In 2013, all four of our businesses made great progress in developing their technologies and growing their customer bases. USSI positioned itself as the leader in the emerging field of advanced microseismic monitoring by winning a pivotal trial conducted by one of the supermajor oil companies. DSIT was recently awarded the largest order in its history for the detection of underwater terrorism.

“Acorn increased backlog 157% from $7.2 million in the third quarter to $18.5 million at the end of the fourth quarter. We made adjustments to our corporate expenses which will reduce cash corporate overhead going forward by 35%. We strengthened the balance sheet, ending the year with $15.8 million in corporate cash and no debt at the parent level.

“In addition, 2014 has gotten off to a good start. GridSense has received $2.8 million of new business, as its early-alert monitoring system for key equipment on the electric grid is receiving greater recognition. OmniMetrix secured orders for nearly half of its 2014 planned units as the need for backup generators grows in the face of increasing outages in the electric utility industry. Joe Musanti assumed the role of COO at Acorn after dramatically reducing the cash needs at both companies. We are excited about 2014. We are actively developing another major opportunity for USSI and look forward to updating you on our progress in the future.”

Portfolio Companies

U.S. Seismic Systems, Inc. (USSI)

USSI has developed the first cost-effective fiber optic sensor system for mapping traditional as well as unconventional oil and gas fields. More effective mapping leads to increased production. The technology is also applicable for monitoring production to avoid environmental problems.

Recently it was reported that unconventional methods such as hydraulic fracturing accounted for 35,000 new wells annually in the U.S. Approximately 40% of the fracturing jobs occur in very high temperature wells, in which it is difficult to impossible for legacy seismic equipment to function. USSI’s fiber optic technology has been designed to operate in these harsh conditions, as well as low to mid temperature applications. Furthermore, over 70% of the operating companies queried in a recent survey reported the failure of fracturing jobs to meet performance expectations was due to a lack of understanding of the subsurface.

During 2013, USSI invested in testing its technology with producing and service companies. In each test, USSI gleaned important information about its sensors and peripheral equipment. The in-field applications have led to refinements and changes as customers and the USSI team work collaboratively towards the commercialization of the first major product change in seismic mapping.

Revenue in 2013 was $1.5 million; about the same as 2012’s revenue and was primarily generated from testing. Fourth quarter revenue of $320,000 in 2013 increased $173,000 over the 2012 fourth quarter revenue of $147,000. The losses reflected in the financial statements with respect to USSI primarily represent purposeful spending on our part to perfect the USSI tool and to set the stage for commercialization.

DSIT

DSIT Solutions Ltd., based in Israel, develops and produces advanced underwater sonar detection systems to protect critical harbor and offshore assets against terrorist and other attacks. Primary markets for its systems are navies, homeland security agencies, oil and gas (O&G) companies, nuclear power facilities and port authorities. The technologies are also attracting interest from owners of offshore oil and gas platforms.

The company generated revenue in 2013 of $13.1 million vs. $13.6 million in 2012. Fourth quarter 2013 revenue was $3.4 million, compared to $3.6 million in the prior year. The decreases were primarily due to the winding down of a major project. Lower revenues and margins were due in part to unanticipated delays and installation complications for a major project.